By Lori (Priya) Kenney

We’ve landed in Ganeshpuri! Some of our group rolled in early this beautiful, cool morning. Others arrived earlier and have been marinating for a few days. We are really here, in India, in Ganeshpuri. We are in retreat with our beloved Guru, Gurudevi.

We met this morning in the big meditation dome. It’s down a beautiful stone path, a few steps away from the main building. The dome is where we will be doing practices and joining Meditation Club every day.

Gurudevi drew us in close to her and gave us a warm welcome. She shared that she is always holding retreats for us. This one is for her. She wants us to join in her 80^th birthday celebration and her 50^th teaching anniversary. Gurudevi shed tears as she described what it means to her that we came to share this momentous occasion.

How could we not come? It truly is the trip of a lifetime. Even as the retreat is for her, it is also for us, of course. We want to be bathed in Grace of our lineage, in the Shakti of the Gurus. This gloriously sacred village is where so much began for so many. This is where Nityananda rooted his teachings. Then Baba took the fruits and branches world-wide. If not for our Babas, Gurudevi wouldn’t be our Guru and we wouldn’t be here.

Our group includes yogis from Australia, England and the US. Our relationship with Gurudevi has drawn us all together. Soon we will know each other well.

We just had our first asana class, easing out the travel tensions. And off to the lovely, open-air dining area on the second floor for lunch. Our retreat has begun! Stay tuned. The Shakti is coming your way.